Lucha Underground Episode 23: Fire in the Cosmos Workrate Report

1. King Cuerno, Texano & Cage vs. Johnny Mundo, Hernandez & Prince Puma

ER: Oddly structured match where the tecnicos take the first 2/3 of the match, and at that point it's just looking like a long squash. I don't think the rudos did anything but get beaten down for the first 7-8 minutes. Rudos weirdly transition to offense after taking dives from everybody. It was weird because they had done nothing but take offense, then they took the biggest moves of the match...and then it was just suddenly their turn to do moves now. There wasn't anything done for them to gain the advantage, just stuff happened and then it was their turn for stuff. Last three minutes were a WWEDG style well-organized chain of spots, like a well organized game of telephone, where one man does a spot, and then takes a spot from another guy, who then takes a spot...It was well organized and looked fine, but I was hoping for less parity with some of these guys. Nobody sold anything so nobody came out looking stronger or weaker for it. Cuerno tends to get neutered in these multi-mans. He got less shine than Mascarita Sagrada in the big Aztec Warfare and here he's really an afterthought as all of his offense save his big dropkick got thwarted. Puma looked great in his time and I loved some of his kick combos. He can also organize a "rudo teammate accidentally does a move to his teammate" spot smoother than anybody. Here he runs Texano into Cuerno and then gives Cuerno a lightning fast neckbreaker, in turn making Cuerno DDT Texano. He pulls it off so quickly that it all actually feels plausible.

PAS: I really dug this, your technico team is sort of a LU Dream team, so I think it makes sense for them to dominate early. Thought Hernandez looked really good in his debut, he is a limited dude, but the big spots he has are still really impressive, in a fed full of crazy tope his tope is fucking crazy. The spot chain was pretty crazy, and although Cuerno didn't get much of a shine, he did get the pin which does make me hope he isn't going to be marginalized. No problem with the finish, I like Texano having this signature weapon, reminds me of the Jimmy Hart megaphone or Terry Funk branding iron.

ER: We set up a three way for the trios finale which I was worried about. I was doing the math on who had been announced as tourney finalists and was thinking "wait there are more finalists than two teams..." The fed has done well so far but man a 3 way trios match has the chance to be a mess.

2. Cage vs. The Mack vs. Son of Havoc

ER: Havoc's offense really doesn't play when he's opposite guys this much larger. So of course he gets the most offense of anybody here. A lot of it came off either implausible or weak. It's tough to get excited about a standing moonsault when a guy 80 lb. larger does a better one just a minute later. Mack looked great throughout, and I really hope this show serves as sort of a breakthrough for him. He's mostly worked California indies and it would be great if this was his stepping stone. Guy has major star potential. Cage also has star potential but the kind that doesn't interest me as much. He's already debuted in AAA and is getting pushed there. I personally have no idea how he makes it back over the border. If I was a border agent and I saw him walking through my line I would get employee of the month certificates flashing in my eyes. Is there a bigger win for a border agent than to flag Cage? That's like a TSA agent seeing a middle eastern man, overdressed for the weather, carrying a damp sack. It's such an easy lay-up that you probably wouldn't even have to fill out paperwork afterwards.

PAS: Indy wrestling 3-ways are pretty much what Segunda Caida was created to proselytize against, but this wasn't bad. The Mack has a lot of charisma and really stands out here, even if he arguable had the least impressive spots. I liked Havoc in this, his double stomp into a tope, was sort of his version of the Santo senton tope, and I really dug that. I also liked how Cage snatched him out of the air a bunch of times, had a very King Kong vs. Planes feel. Enjoyed this a bunch.

ER: I wasn't sure how they were going to handle how popular Pentagon Jr. has gotten since they clearly want him to be a rudo, and damn did this seem to work. They've gone over 20 episodes with barely mentioning Melissa Santos. She's always a part of the show, very visible, yet never a part of the action. I was genuinely surprised when Pentagon went after her and she played it perfectly, really scrambling for any escape while Pentagon whipped her around. The way they shot it made me a little uneasy. Great way to really hammer home that he is not a guy to cheer for.

PAS: Yeah Pentagon was super menacing, not a fun guy at all, but a serial killer. I liked Vampiro standing up, but not as a Bill Watts walking tall tough guy, but more like a guy who might have to go sacrifice himself.

3. Aerostar vs. Drago

ER: Kind of disappointed in this. It's possible that expecting these guys to fill 5 different singles matches was a little too much pressure. It's not like these two have any shortage of new cool moves to break out, but at the same time after 5 matches there wasn't any sort of learned history between them. All 5 matches were kind of worked in their own vacuum. Drago looked off in a couple spots, throwing in more stutter steps than normal. Aerostar looked a little off as well as some of his flying didn't have his trademark majesty. Usually his reward balances out his risk but after him faceplanting on that dive through the table, I'm not so sure. BUT then you had the fucking glorious trust fall tope en reversa with him flying backwards stiff as a board to the floor so what the hell do I know? I really loved him running up the ropes and buttsplashing Drago, as at home I said "what the hell!?" right when Vampiro was saying "what the hell was that!?" Drago's cradle finisher was some classic lucha knot tying done impeccably. I love watching these two, but again I think 5 matches was maybe too much.

PAS: I liked this more than Eric (he must have been grumpy watching this show), sure there were some awkward parts (which is inevitable for this kind of techinco v. technico match), but I thought they added enough gritty brawling parts to make this more then an exhibition. Aerostar can really break some cool shit out, and his backwards tope is gorgeous. I also loved the snap of the KO ddt thing into the crazy roll up finish for Drago. Really felt like a convincing victory, but the match was a big enough war that both guys came out looking stronger.

ER: I could listen to Dario say "unique opportunity" every damn week.


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